By 2030, the fleet of Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft in Russian airlines will be reduced by more than five times due to problems with repairs. According to the joint forecast of Irkut Corporation and UEC (part of Rostec), the number of aircraft will decrease from the current 150 to 28 units, informs “Kommersant”.
According to experts, this reduction is due to the Russian-French SaM-146 engines installed on the aircraft. Previously, the French were engaged in servicing the SaM-146, but last year Safran stopped its participation in the PowerJet JEC project almost immediately after the start of the special operation in Ukraine.
Irkut considers replacing engines with new Russian PD-8s too expensive. As the experts explained, in this case, it will also be necessary to change the engine nacelles, modify the on-board cable network and the auxiliary power unit systems. Thus, it will not be possible to withstand the minimum price that was previously taken into these calculations.
It is noted that a new set of engines will cost 1.3-1.8 billion rubles, but the SaM-146 was mass-produced by the world’s largest manufacturer. The Russian PD-8, which was developed from scratch, will be much more expensive.
If it is possible to master the maintenance and replacement of the hot part of the SaM-146, then by 2030 it will be possible to keep 106 SSJ-100s in operation, Irkut said. However, Kommersant’s sources consider such a development unlikely. Some suggest that engine repairs may be transferred to Iran.
Irkut admitted that some of the SSJ-100s would inevitably fall out of service. Now the main task is to ensure that this process is predictable, and decommissioned liners are synchronized with the supply of new aircraft.
